In a wire harness that is mounted in an automobile and the like, it is often the case that a coating of an insulation-coated electrical wire is partially removed to expose a conductor constituted by a group of bare wires, and another electrical wire is connected to the exposed conductor section using welding or a crimping terminal or a connection terminal is crimped to the exposed conductor section. Such an exposed conductor section or an electrical connection section needs reliable waterproofing when it is to be arranged in an area that is exposed to water.
Conventionally, therefore, a branch connecting structure (see, for example, JP 2008-131327A) has been proposed in which a terminal splice section for branching a branch wire from a main wire of a wire harness serving as a communication wire for a vehicle network is accommodated in a resin protection cap, and the protection cap is fixed to ends of coating tubes of the main and branch wires by winding tape in the vicinity thereof or using a heat shrinkable tube or a waterproofing agent.
Furthermore, a waterproof device (see, for example, JP 2000-113917A) has also been proposed in which uncoated exposed core wire sections are formed at intermediate sections of a plurality of coated lead wires that are bent upward in an inverted U-shape, and an insulation tube that has a water resistance and heat resistance and is bent in an inverted U-shape to cover the exposed core wire sections of the plurality of coated lead wires is provided.
JP 2008-131327A and JP 2000-113917A are examples of related art.